I told our kids last night that I was going to enter them in manners boot camp. Oh the wiggling and talking with food in the mouth and yelling and elbows on the table. Argh!!!
Then I had a revelation that I probably needed to go to spouse manners boot camp. Dear Husband worked his heiny off on tearing the house apart and by 9:00 PM, I had uttered nary a thanks.
Saying thank you is sometimes really hard to do, especially when you feel like the person should be doing it anyway or if you feel that you haven't been thanked for the countless things you do. It seems that saying thank you is as hard if not harder than saying sorry.
What kind of world are we living in!?
It should be easy for me to say thank you to DH for all the wonderful things he does for our family and around the house, big and small. It can be hard to conjure up those items when one is in the thick of being pissed off about something but, nevertheless, we need to thank our spouses. Gratitude works both ways.
So I brainstormed a list of things I can be thankful to DH about:
Providing a wonderful life for our family by working three jobs
Sacrificing a year of his life (our lives) overseas
Marrying me (this should be daily)
Having kids with me (again - daily)
Being so ready to jump into home improvement projects and getting excited about them
Having the vision of the projects
Going with me on my crazy ideas (for the most part)
Pushing me to make our bed
Keeping me accountable for soooo many things in life
All the effort it takes to try to steady my emotional ship
Being willing to get dirty to a) play with the kids b) play with the dog c) take care of our house
Mowing the yard
Shoveling the snow
(sometimes both in the same week!)
Coaching Tball
Being the driver in the family on long trips...or short ones
Playing with the kids
Being rational with me about money (ie the kitchen remodel)
Being irrational with me about money (ie the truck)
Taking care of the majority of bedtimes
Washing Little Miss's hair
Styling Little Miss's hair!
Keeping in shape so he can haul the heavy stuff in our lives
Being a good leader - of players, soldiers, students, and our family
Keeping a calm head in scary situations
Buying a gun cabinet
Giving up part of the garage but letting me park in it
Scraping my car off when I don't park in the garage
Knowing me so well that it annoys the heck out of me sometimes!
Being irresistible
Laughing (giggling?) at our shows
Remembering what shows we have on what nights
When he makes popcorn and shares with me
Being a man of his word
Being a good man period.
There's more I could add to the list but this is a good starter.
Start your own for your spouse or significant other! It's easy to get bogged down in the daily minutia and forget about all we can be grateful for. Some people keep a journal, some verbally list their blessings, etc.
Write a note and leave it on your special person's pillow so they see it before they go to bed or sneak one into their lunch...or on their napkin at dinner time. It's important for our kids to see us showing gratitude. How else will they learn it?
Now I'm off to write up drills for kids' manners boot camp. Ha! Just kidding. I'm off to give DH a big hug and kiss to thank him for all the work and muck he dealt with today.
Cheers,
Megs
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Day 33 - Monday Meal Time
I'm tired tonight. I totally sympathized with Little Man this morning when he crawled further into his comfy bed instead of getting right up in the morning. I seriously contemplated calling in sick.
Ah well.
Tonight was major demo day #1. A wall came out to make room for a different wall and some electrical work was done. Dear Husband did awesome.
I had a spaz attack and wasn't the best version of myself.
I hate mess and clutter and debris and kids getting in it and things generally interfering with my plans. So remodeling my kitchen (aka my sanctuary) was a realllllllll smart thing for me to do. LOL!
The other part that stressed me out was my to-do list hanging over my head. Like the laundry....which, as I'm typing this, I realize I forgot to even do! So Little Miss will be scraping the high waters for pants tomorrow! DURN!
Next on my to-do list was getting a list of meals and a grocery list to a friend of mine who wanted to try out the freezer meal thing. I managed to wrangle up 12 freezer meals that are delicious. In fact, I think I'm just going to take her list for our meals this month! Two birds, one stone.
The final thing was the blog. My brain, by now, is shutting down. Forgive me if this isn't as lengthy of a blog post as others. But I couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite foods - wine! Not just any of the wines but sweet white wine. I don't drink a lot but if I choose to have one, I go for the refreshing, crisp ones. I recently discovered Sweet White Roo by Yellow Tail. My other faves are Sweet Reisling, Gewürztraminer, or Moscato. I'm really not too picky about brands. There is also a Soft White Wine out there somewhere that is Delicious!
I decided I needed a little destressing so I busted out a fave wine and my fave dip-of-the-moment and settled in to write up a blog post.
I'll keep ya'll updated on the kitchen destruction/rebuild.
Cheers,
Megs
Ah well.
Tonight was major demo day #1. A wall came out to make room for a different wall and some electrical work was done. Dear Husband did awesome.
I had a spaz attack and wasn't the best version of myself.
I hate mess and clutter and debris and kids getting in it and things generally interfering with my plans. So remodeling my kitchen (aka my sanctuary) was a realllllllll smart thing for me to do. LOL!
The other part that stressed me out was my to-do list hanging over my head. Like the laundry....which, as I'm typing this, I realize I forgot to even do! So Little Miss will be scraping the high waters for pants tomorrow! DURN!
Next on my to-do list was getting a list of meals and a grocery list to a friend of mine who wanted to try out the freezer meal thing. I managed to wrangle up 12 freezer meals that are delicious. In fact, I think I'm just going to take her list for our meals this month! Two birds, one stone.
The final thing was the blog. My brain, by now, is shutting down. Forgive me if this isn't as lengthy of a blog post as others. But I couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite foods - wine! Not just any of the wines but sweet white wine. I don't drink a lot but if I choose to have one, I go for the refreshing, crisp ones. I recently discovered Sweet White Roo by Yellow Tail. My other faves are Sweet Reisling, Gewürztraminer, or Moscato. I'm really not too picky about brands. There is also a Soft White Wine out there somewhere that is Delicious!
I decided I needed a little destressing so I busted out a fave wine and my fave dip-of-the-moment and settled in to write up a blog post. I'll keep ya'll updated on the kitchen destruction/rebuild.
Cheers,
Megs
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Day 32...or is it 33?
Sunday - the beginning of another week.
I missed posting yesterday. First time in a month. But I had a good excuse - I was out of town for a funeral.
Which leads me to today's post. The burial services and celebration of life were for my great uncle - Buck. Yep, I had an Uncle Buck! Much different from the movie persona, though.
He was a grand man - a cowboy, businessman, politician, and huge presence. Much of that I found out later in life. Growing up, I always thought he ran the ranch he and my grandpa grew up on. Apparently he was a big to-do in the banking business and had a profound effect on South Dakota and Montana business development and legislation. It was amazing to discover how many people knew him. To me, he was the great uncle who helped shepherd me through my first two years of college by writing letters, calling me, letting me stay at his house when he was gone, taking me to dinner, etc. He wasn't always in town, but we stayed connected.
Meeting people who had known him for years and reminiscing about his life with his kids, grandkids, friends, nieces, and nephews was such a joy. It was also hard. It was hard to let go of the other Moore boy, the first being my grandpa. Well....second. Grandpa was younger than Buck but he died in 1984. Buck was one of my connections to my grandpa. The other is my Grandma. She is the pillar of our family. It just kept rolling back to my mind that now we were waiting. Waiting for when Grandma would be called home. I think that's what really affected me. Buck was 90 and Grandma is 88. Both have lived incredibly full lives and seen many blessings. It's hard or will be hard to lose them. You don't want the inevitable to happen.
One poem that was read during his burial service was one his kids had found in his file of "what to do when I die." I thought it was an important reflection for those of us "left behind."
For Those I Love and Those Who Love Me
When I am gone, release me - let me go,
I have so many things to see and do,
You must not tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
I gave my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love we each have shown
But now it's time, I travel on alone.
So grieve awhile for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It's only for awhile that we must part
So bless now, the memories within your heart.
I won't be far away for life goes on;
So if you need me - CALL - and I will come;
though you can't see me, or touch me, I'll be near
And if you listen with your heart, you'll hear
All my love around you, soft and clear
And then when you must come this way alone,
I'll greet you with a smile and "Welcome Home."
Author Unknown
I leave you with this: You have an opportunity every day to have a profound effect on someone. Buck made a profound impact on me just by taking me out to dinner once, coming to a couple of my activities on campus and writing me the occasional letter. He showed me love when he didn't have to and when it was slightly out of character for him. His wife was the social one of the two, but she passed away shortly before I started college.
We have moments that can change others' lives. We need to seize those moments no matter how small.
Cheers,
Megs
I missed posting yesterday. First time in a month. But I had a good excuse - I was out of town for a funeral.
Which leads me to today's post. The burial services and celebration of life were for my great uncle - Buck. Yep, I had an Uncle Buck! Much different from the movie persona, though.
He was a grand man - a cowboy, businessman, politician, and huge presence. Much of that I found out later in life. Growing up, I always thought he ran the ranch he and my grandpa grew up on. Apparently he was a big to-do in the banking business and had a profound effect on South Dakota and Montana business development and legislation. It was amazing to discover how many people knew him. To me, he was the great uncle who helped shepherd me through my first two years of college by writing letters, calling me, letting me stay at his house when he was gone, taking me to dinner, etc. He wasn't always in town, but we stayed connected.
Meeting people who had known him for years and reminiscing about his life with his kids, grandkids, friends, nieces, and nephews was such a joy. It was also hard. It was hard to let go of the other Moore boy, the first being my grandpa. Well....second. Grandpa was younger than Buck but he died in 1984. Buck was one of my connections to my grandpa. The other is my Grandma. She is the pillar of our family. It just kept rolling back to my mind that now we were waiting. Waiting for when Grandma would be called home. I think that's what really affected me. Buck was 90 and Grandma is 88. Both have lived incredibly full lives and seen many blessings. It's hard or will be hard to lose them. You don't want the inevitable to happen.
One poem that was read during his burial service was one his kids had found in his file of "what to do when I die." I thought it was an important reflection for those of us "left behind."
For Those I Love and Those Who Love Me
When I am gone, release me - let me go,
I have so many things to see and do,
You must not tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
I gave my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love we each have shown
But now it's time, I travel on alone.
So grieve awhile for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It's only for awhile that we must part
So bless now, the memories within your heart.
I won't be far away for life goes on;
So if you need me - CALL - and I will come;
though you can't see me, or touch me, I'll be near
And if you listen with your heart, you'll hear
All my love around you, soft and clear
And then when you must come this way alone,
I'll greet you with a smile and "Welcome Home."
Author Unknown
I leave you with this: You have an opportunity every day to have a profound effect on someone. Buck made a profound impact on me just by taking me out to dinner once, coming to a couple of my activities on campus and writing me the occasional letter. He showed me love when he didn't have to and when it was slightly out of character for him. His wife was the social one of the two, but she passed away shortly before I started college.
We have moments that can change others' lives. We need to seize those moments no matter how small.
Cheers,
Megs
Friday, April 26, 2013
Day 31 - Funny Friday!
Here is the second official edition of Funny Friday. I just had to post some of these because if something makes me laugh out loud, it's pretty good.
They are a little toss-back to the college days. Not sure why - just something stuck in my brain lately!
Enjoy your weekend!
Cheers,
Megs
They are a little toss-back to the college days. Not sure why - just something stuck in my brain lately!
Enjoy your weekend!
Cheers,
Megs
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Day 30 - The Consequences
Last week I laid out the three major actions the kids do that bug me the most, drive me to yell, really push my buttons, etc.
They were:
1. Don't Listen when asked to do something/act a certain way/etc
2. Hitting
3. Talking Back / Telling me/DH no (Little Miss is an expert at that!)
I decided I would ask the kids what they thought the consequences should be for each of those actions. Together (wow!) they came up with the following:
1. Lose privileges (screen time, toys, little trips, treat trips, etc)
2. Time Out (minutes = their age)
3. Soap & Time Out
To reinforce these consequences so we were all fully aware of them, we did three things:
1. Verbally went over them a few times.
2. Physically practiced.
3. Wrote them down.
With the first one, it was just asking them what the consequence was for each one. Pretty simple.
The second one was actually practice. What? Make them have bad behavior. Of course! I have found that practicing the behavior I want them to have and the behavior I don't want them to have (and thus the consequence) is GREAT. So we practiced all three things and they practice the consequence for all three.
The final was to write it down. The actions and consequences now reside on a large yellow piece of paper on our fridge. This is mainly for my own reference. When I have to look at the sheet in the heat of the moment, I calm down a lot faster and can hand out the consequence with all my wits about me.
After a week of this, the results have been really good! I've been most impressed with the sharp digression in the talking back.
Each has only gotten soap in their mouth once. Now, some people have a moral disagreement with putting soap in their child's mouth. I figure it's better than a spanking or flick to the mouth. And my mom did it with all six of us kids and we turned out fine. Actually...when soap wasn't doing the trick, she switched to tabasco sauce. Unless it was a really bad word - then tabasco came without question. To me, the consequence fits the action as well. Dirty/sassy words need to be cleaned out. How we do it is just a tiny squirt of soap in the mouth. Then they rinse it out with water. Trust me - they get more soap in their mouths during bath time than when they sass off.
The other easy thing has been the loss of privileges. We talk a lot about how certain things are a privilege (i.e. playing games on the iPad, watching cartoons, getting special treats, helping DH with special jobs, stories, PJ walks etc). This has been a really good consequence because it's easy to straighten up the behavior. Just a simple "Not listening means losing privileges. The privilege to lose is..." and we name the privilege that is coming up next. If they don't respond to what we are saying, that privilege is gone. What is really effective is when one listens and the other doesn't so only one loses the privilege. This seems to hit home a bit harder and helps them remember for the next time.
So we will continue on this path. Keep consistent with it. That's the goal, right?
Cheers,
Megs
They were:
1. Don't Listen when asked to do something/act a certain way/etc
2. Hitting
3. Talking Back / Telling me/DH no (Little Miss is an expert at that!)
I decided I would ask the kids what they thought the consequences should be for each of those actions. Together (wow!) they came up with the following:
1. Lose privileges (screen time, toys, little trips, treat trips, etc)
2. Time Out (minutes = their age)
3. Soap & Time Out
To reinforce these consequences so we were all fully aware of them, we did three things:
1. Verbally went over them a few times.
2. Physically practiced.
3. Wrote them down.
With the first one, it was just asking them what the consequence was for each one. Pretty simple.
The second one was actually practice. What? Make them have bad behavior. Of course! I have found that practicing the behavior I want them to have and the behavior I don't want them to have (and thus the consequence) is GREAT. So we practiced all three things and they practice the consequence for all three.
The final was to write it down. The actions and consequences now reside on a large yellow piece of paper on our fridge. This is mainly for my own reference. When I have to look at the sheet in the heat of the moment, I calm down a lot faster and can hand out the consequence with all my wits about me.
After a week of this, the results have been really good! I've been most impressed with the sharp digression in the talking back.
Each has only gotten soap in their mouth once. Now, some people have a moral disagreement with putting soap in their child's mouth. I figure it's better than a spanking or flick to the mouth. And my mom did it with all six of us kids and we turned out fine. Actually...when soap wasn't doing the trick, she switched to tabasco sauce. Unless it was a really bad word - then tabasco came without question. To me, the consequence fits the action as well. Dirty/sassy words need to be cleaned out. How we do it is just a tiny squirt of soap in the mouth. Then they rinse it out with water. Trust me - they get more soap in their mouths during bath time than when they sass off.
The other easy thing has been the loss of privileges. We talk a lot about how certain things are a privilege (i.e. playing games on the iPad, watching cartoons, getting special treats, helping DH with special jobs, stories, PJ walks etc). This has been a really good consequence because it's easy to straighten up the behavior. Just a simple "Not listening means losing privileges. The privilege to lose is..." and we name the privilege that is coming up next. If they don't respond to what we are saying, that privilege is gone. What is really effective is when one listens and the other doesn't so only one loses the privilege. This seems to hit home a bit harder and helps them remember for the next time.
So we will continue on this path. Keep consistent with it. That's the goal, right?
Cheers,
Megs
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Day 29 - Booootay!
I'll admit it. I LOVE love LOVE Pirate Booty. I'm obsessed. Well, addicted might be more accurate. These are delicious puffed cheese balls available in snack size bags at Target or oversized, Americanized bags at Costco.
It's an amazing product that has increased its presence across American grocery stores - thank goodness! And after reading this brief Wikipedia article about it, I'm even more in love. Apparently - it's healthier than a lot of alternatives! Woohoo!!! Wiki Article - Pirate Booty
I usually "let" the kids pick it as their treat at Costco. I let them think it's their idea. But really, I avoid any other aisle that might present temptation for them and guide them to this delectable white cheddar gloriousness. They get their little bowls while the monstrous bag sits on the counter for me to chow down on. I could honestly eat a whole bag in one sitting - a challenge I have yet to accept, but it's just a matter of time....
Thank goodness Little Man wants a pirate party for his birthday. Another great excuse to buy a bag...or two...maybe three.
Cheers!
Megs
It's an amazing product that has increased its presence across American grocery stores - thank goodness! And after reading this brief Wikipedia article about it, I'm even more in love. Apparently - it's healthier than a lot of alternatives! Woohoo!!! Wiki Article - Pirate Booty
I usually "let" the kids pick it as their treat at Costco. I let them think it's their idea. But really, I avoid any other aisle that might present temptation for them and guide them to this delectable white cheddar gloriousness. They get their little bowls while the monstrous bag sits on the counter for me to chow down on. I could honestly eat a whole bag in one sitting - a challenge I have yet to accept, but it's just a matter of time....
Thank goodness Little Man wants a pirate party for his birthday. Another great excuse to buy a bag...or two...maybe three.
Cheers!
Megs
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Day 28 - Teamwork and Tums
Dear Husband:
I wasn't ready for this. Definitely not.
I mean - we've planned and planned and talked and talked and yet when it actually happened, I felt sick to my stomach.
I think I'm getting ulcers.
The massive amount of coffee I've been drinking to fight off the yawns doesn't help the ulcers either.
Can we rewind a couple weeks? Or at least put it on pause?
No? Yah, didn't think so.
Love,
Your Dear Wife
---------------
The above letter was more or less expressed to Dear Husband tonight when I walked into this scene in my kitchen:
Yep, the cupboards are coming out. Which means my countertops will soon be gone.
To be replaced by long banquet tables in some sort of makeshift, half-ass kitchen space.
I really don't think I can do this.
Cooking is something I love. It's my relaxation time. My zen time. My zone-out time. I love being creative in the kitchen.
Not going to happen for the next few weeks.
But what DH said tonight was encouraging. We are a team.
After I walked in, I went into panic mode. I needed to get dinner started so Little Miss and I could leave for dance and Little Man and DH could eat then go to t-ball. Then Little Miss and I would return from dance and have dinner ourselves. Then clean up. I started going 50 different directions (so unlike me, I know!). DH told me that he would stop what he was doing and make dinner so I could have a breather.
Now, if you know DH and if you know him during a project, stopping doesn't really happen until he is ready. So this is a big step. He's being super conscious of my anxiety during this and, in turn, being really sensitive to it.
So we worked as a team. I got some stuff out for dinner, he started it, then Little Miss and I left. When we got back, the boys had left so we had dinner then I cleaned up. Easy peasy. And much left stressful. Yay teamwork!
Because he helped out with dinner, I didn't even think twice about taking over the kids' bedtime routines. Normally that's his realm while I clean up but I took it on tonight because he was finishing pulling off trim in the den.
Teamwork.
I like the phrase "teamwork" better than "partnership" when describing marriage because it seems more accurate. Partnership to me implies a 50/50 break up of duties. Teamwork is a little more flexible. Each person on the team must work with the others to get it done. Some have more work than others at certain times but it's all necessary. And a team can extend to the kids, who are essential in this whole marriage puzzle.
It's hard. Really hard. And it's been a struggle for us to figure out. I've often felt I was taken for granted. When DH wanted me to help him with something, I did it, but when I wanted help with something it was like pulling teeth to get a response. I also have a tendency to overreact so when the latter did happen (or in my mind I thought it was happening) I blew it out of proportion and the argument went down the road of always, nevers, and every times. Dangerous words to throw out at any time because there are very few things in life that are 100% the same each time. We both felt unloved and disrespected at the end of the argument and nothing was ever really resolved.
This house-buying/remodeling experience has really given us a foothold down a different path. One of communication and teamwork. We've had several discussions about it and have clearly laid out our expectations. I've been more direct with what I want and what I don't and he the same. We've been able to rationalize a lot of stuff.
The other realization we've had is that we have a constant audience - Little Miss and Little Man. There have been times when they have disrespected each other in the nastiest of tones or they have talked to one of us like that, and it's basically like recording our arguments and playing them back later. Horrible reality to be smacked with.
There are still arguments. There will be. We are two individuals. But as long as we can approach them with a team attitude, then the argument will be much more productive towards a solution. And we'll be modeling much more positive behavior for our peanut gallery.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find DH's stash of Tums!
Cheers,
Megs
I wasn't ready for this. Definitely not.
I mean - we've planned and planned and talked and talked and yet when it actually happened, I felt sick to my stomach.
I think I'm getting ulcers.
The massive amount of coffee I've been drinking to fight off the yawns doesn't help the ulcers either.
Can we rewind a couple weeks? Or at least put it on pause?
No? Yah, didn't think so.
Love,
Your Dear Wife
---------------
The above letter was more or less expressed to Dear Husband tonight when I walked into this scene in my kitchen:
To be replaced by long banquet tables in some sort of makeshift, half-ass kitchen space.
I really don't think I can do this.
Cooking is something I love. It's my relaxation time. My zen time. My zone-out time. I love being creative in the kitchen.
Not going to happen for the next few weeks.
But what DH said tonight was encouraging. We are a team.
After I walked in, I went into panic mode. I needed to get dinner started so Little Miss and I could leave for dance and Little Man and DH could eat then go to t-ball. Then Little Miss and I would return from dance and have dinner ourselves. Then clean up. I started going 50 different directions (so unlike me, I know!). DH told me that he would stop what he was doing and make dinner so I could have a breather.
Now, if you know DH and if you know him during a project, stopping doesn't really happen until he is ready. So this is a big step. He's being super conscious of my anxiety during this and, in turn, being really sensitive to it.
So we worked as a team. I got some stuff out for dinner, he started it, then Little Miss and I left. When we got back, the boys had left so we had dinner then I cleaned up. Easy peasy. And much left stressful. Yay teamwork!
Because he helped out with dinner, I didn't even think twice about taking over the kids' bedtime routines. Normally that's his realm while I clean up but I took it on tonight because he was finishing pulling off trim in the den.
Teamwork.
I like the phrase "teamwork" better than "partnership" when describing marriage because it seems more accurate. Partnership to me implies a 50/50 break up of duties. Teamwork is a little more flexible. Each person on the team must work with the others to get it done. Some have more work than others at certain times but it's all necessary. And a team can extend to the kids, who are essential in this whole marriage puzzle.
It's hard. Really hard. And it's been a struggle for us to figure out. I've often felt I was taken for granted. When DH wanted me to help him with something, I did it, but when I wanted help with something it was like pulling teeth to get a response. I also have a tendency to overreact so when the latter did happen (or in my mind I thought it was happening) I blew it out of proportion and the argument went down the road of always, nevers, and every times. Dangerous words to throw out at any time because there are very few things in life that are 100% the same each time. We both felt unloved and disrespected at the end of the argument and nothing was ever really resolved.
This house-buying/remodeling experience has really given us a foothold down a different path. One of communication and teamwork. We've had several discussions about it and have clearly laid out our expectations. I've been more direct with what I want and what I don't and he the same. We've been able to rationalize a lot of stuff.
The other realization we've had is that we have a constant audience - Little Miss and Little Man. There have been times when they have disrespected each other in the nastiest of tones or they have talked to one of us like that, and it's basically like recording our arguments and playing them back later. Horrible reality to be smacked with.
There are still arguments. There will be. We are two individuals. But as long as we can approach them with a team attitude, then the argument will be much more productive towards a solution. And we'll be modeling much more positive behavior for our peanut gallery.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find DH's stash of Tums!
Cheers,
Megs
Monday, April 22, 2013
Day 27 - Mexican Night!
This should really be titled "Mexican week." I told Dear Husband that chimichangas were on the menu for tomorrow and he (lovingly) pointed out that we had had Mexican-themed food every night since Thursday. Whoops! Good thing we like it!
Tonight was Taco Soup with mini cornbread muffins. Yum!
Taco Soup is a family favorite ever since it was introduced by Sister-In-Law-#1 at Christmastime in 2008. It's soooo easy and hearty and delicious. Chili is a bit too temperamental for me - or maybe DH is just too damn picky about his chili. Either way - I know taco soup will be a hit. Surprisingly the kids love it! Little Miss even requested it for her birthday dinner. Strange. Having something to dip into like chips or bread helps too.
I usually pair it with mangos or oranges or some sort of fruit. In my mind, that balances out the huge dose of corn, beans, and tomatoes in the soup. Fresh veggies or a crisp salad work, too.
Two great things about this dish is 1) you can make a huge batch then freeze it and 2) it can all be done in the crockpot in the morning. I doubled the batch for Little Miss's birthday, and it gave us that meal plus two gallon-size servings, which will feed all four of us twice plus leave some for lunch leftovers. All I do is thaw it enough to break the square chunk in the bag in half, put it in our oval crockpot, stick it on 10-hours, then leave for the day. I come home, take 20 minutes to bake the muffins and dinner is done.
When we first started discussing the amount of work this remodel was going to be, I knew I needed to be prepared with meals otherwise the local pizza place would once again know me by my order! (Last time that happened was the year DH was deployed.) So I planned out 30 meals I could freeze. Taco Soup was, of course, one of the main ones.
So here is the recipe for taco soup. There are a lot of variations out there but this is the one passed to me:
TACO SOUP - Crockpot meal, 4 hours - 10 hours, the longer the better, makes a full oval crockpot
Brown in a skillet:
2 lbs hamburger
Diced onion (personal preference)
3 cloves garlic (less or more, personal preference)
Pour that and the following into a LARGE crockpot:
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I usually substituted petite diced or regular diced here)
16 oz diced tomatoes
16 oz pinto bean
16 oz kidney bean
16 oz corn (there's a southwestern mix that is really good)
16 oz black bean
16 oz white hominy (or white corn)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1-2 cans diced green chiles (personal preference)
You can dump the cans in juice and all or you can drain and rinse the beans then add another can of tomatoes (diced or sauce or juice, whatever).
Mix it well then let 'er rip.
Garnish with sour cream, green onion, cheese, black olives, jalapeno, sriracha, etc.
MINI CORN BREAD MUFFINS (Direct Link to Recipe)
(I like this recipe because it doesn't call for buttermilk. I mean, who has buttermilk on hand at all times??)
Cook time: About 17 minutes
Prep time: About 2 minutes
Yield: 20-24 mini muffins, depending on tin size
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar (more or less)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
Cumin, paprika, mix of spices (optional)
Grease muffin tin. Heat oven to 450.
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt and seasoning (optional).
In mixing bowl, whisk together egg, milk, butter.
Pour dry into the wet and stir until moistened. Fill the cups 2/3 full.
Bake at 450 for about 5 minutes then reduce heat to 400 and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Muffins should just start to brown at the top.
-----------------
Below are some pictures of the process but because my memory sucks, I didn't get pics of the taco soup or of the full plate of muffins! We apparently liked the muffins since only half were left at the end of dinner.
Hopefully this is a time-saving, delicious meal some of you can try this week. Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Megs
Tonight was Taco Soup with mini cornbread muffins. Yum!
Taco Soup is a family favorite ever since it was introduced by Sister-In-Law-#1 at Christmastime in 2008. It's soooo easy and hearty and delicious. Chili is a bit too temperamental for me - or maybe DH is just too damn picky about his chili. Either way - I know taco soup will be a hit. Surprisingly the kids love it! Little Miss even requested it for her birthday dinner. Strange. Having something to dip into like chips or bread helps too.
I usually pair it with mangos or oranges or some sort of fruit. In my mind, that balances out the huge dose of corn, beans, and tomatoes in the soup. Fresh veggies or a crisp salad work, too.
Two great things about this dish is 1) you can make a huge batch then freeze it and 2) it can all be done in the crockpot in the morning. I doubled the batch for Little Miss's birthday, and it gave us that meal plus two gallon-size servings, which will feed all four of us twice plus leave some for lunch leftovers. All I do is thaw it enough to break the square chunk in the bag in half, put it in our oval crockpot, stick it on 10-hours, then leave for the day. I come home, take 20 minutes to bake the muffins and dinner is done.
When we first started discussing the amount of work this remodel was going to be, I knew I needed to be prepared with meals otherwise the local pizza place would once again know me by my order! (Last time that happened was the year DH was deployed.) So I planned out 30 meals I could freeze. Taco Soup was, of course, one of the main ones.
So here is the recipe for taco soup. There are a lot of variations out there but this is the one passed to me:
TACO SOUP - Crockpot meal, 4 hours - 10 hours, the longer the better, makes a full oval crockpot
Brown in a skillet:
2 lbs hamburger
Diced onion (personal preference)
3 cloves garlic (less or more, personal preference)
Pour that and the following into a LARGE crockpot:
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I usually substituted petite diced or regular diced here)
16 oz diced tomatoes
16 oz pinto bean
16 oz kidney bean
16 oz corn (there's a southwestern mix that is really good)
16 oz black bean
16 oz white hominy (or white corn)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1-2 cans diced green chiles (personal preference)
You can dump the cans in juice and all or you can drain and rinse the beans then add another can of tomatoes (diced or sauce or juice, whatever).
Mix it well then let 'er rip.
Garnish with sour cream, green onion, cheese, black olives, jalapeno, sriracha, etc.
MINI CORN BREAD MUFFINS (Direct Link to Recipe)
(I like this recipe because it doesn't call for buttermilk. I mean, who has buttermilk on hand at all times??)
Cook time: About 17 minutes
Prep time: About 2 minutes
Yield: 20-24 mini muffins, depending on tin size
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar (more or less)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
Cumin, paprika, mix of spices (optional)
Grease muffin tin. Heat oven to 450.
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt and seasoning (optional).
In mixing bowl, whisk together egg, milk, butter.
Pour dry into the wet and stir until moistened. Fill the cups 2/3 full.
Bake at 450 for about 5 minutes then reduce heat to 400 and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Muffins should just start to brown at the top.
-----------------
Below are some pictures of the process but because my memory sucks, I didn't get pics of the taco soup or of the full plate of muffins! We apparently liked the muffins since only half were left at the end of dinner.
Cheers,
Megs
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Day 26 - Reflection on Technology
Kind of a boring headline, ay? I know....still working on it.
Sundays are a day of reflection for me. They start with coffee and the newspaper then Mass then usually brunch with the parents. After that it's either projects around the house or cleaning or play time. Varies. But it's more low-key, gearing up for the week so it lends itself nicely to reflection.
Today, what kept turning over and over in my mind as I thought of the capture of one of the Boston bombing suspects on Friday and the week "anniversary" of the bombing tomorrow was how far we have come in the technology that almost every person possesses in the palm of their hand.
Over and over, the media has touted the use of civilian footage that has aided the investigation of the bombing thus far. It pushed me to reflect on the technology we had during another dark time - 9/11.
In 2001, the iPod was released by Apple, wireless LANs were a big winner, Bluetooth was coming, and Blackberry was the only "smart phone" on the market.
Now, flip phones are for our grandparents and smartphones are standard issue.
The advancement of cameras and emailing abilities on these phones is significantly greater than in 2001. For a situation like Boston, the more cameras on the ground the better. If 100 different pictures show the same two people placing a backpack on the ground where the explosions were and 1000 others have different angles of those people then it vastly increases the chances of capturing those individuals.
With the advancement of technology comes the fear of big-brother-ness. Who's watching us? Where are they watching us? Obviously, when used for the wrong purposes, this can be devastating to us as a society. But there is also safety to consider.
This extends itself to all aspects of our world, mainly the public arenas.
As the principal at Dear Husband's school said (paraphrasing): trying to figure out what happened in the parking lot without cameras is like reffing a football game from the locker room. Video greatly reduces the "he said/she said" when it comes to a fight.
Maybe I should install cameras up in the kids' rooms for when they are up there playing and one comes down screaming.
Hmmm...
I'll keep you posted on that.
Cheers,
Megs
Sundays are a day of reflection for me. They start with coffee and the newspaper then Mass then usually brunch with the parents. After that it's either projects around the house or cleaning or play time. Varies. But it's more low-key, gearing up for the week so it lends itself nicely to reflection.
Today, what kept turning over and over in my mind as I thought of the capture of one of the Boston bombing suspects on Friday and the week "anniversary" of the bombing tomorrow was how far we have come in the technology that almost every person possesses in the palm of their hand.
Over and over, the media has touted the use of civilian footage that has aided the investigation of the bombing thus far. It pushed me to reflect on the technology we had during another dark time - 9/11.
In 2001, the iPod was released by Apple, wireless LANs were a big winner, Bluetooth was coming, and Blackberry was the only "smart phone" on the market.
Now, flip phones are for our grandparents and smartphones are standard issue.
The advancement of cameras and emailing abilities on these phones is significantly greater than in 2001. For a situation like Boston, the more cameras on the ground the better. If 100 different pictures show the same two people placing a backpack on the ground where the explosions were and 1000 others have different angles of those people then it vastly increases the chances of capturing those individuals.
With the advancement of technology comes the fear of big-brother-ness. Who's watching us? Where are they watching us? Obviously, when used for the wrong purposes, this can be devastating to us as a society. But there is also safety to consider.
This extends itself to all aspects of our world, mainly the public arenas.
As the principal at Dear Husband's school said (paraphrasing): trying to figure out what happened in the parking lot without cameras is like reffing a football game from the locker room. Video greatly reduces the "he said/she said" when it comes to a fight.
Maybe I should install cameras up in the kids' rooms for when they are up there playing and one comes down screaming.
Hmmm...
I'll keep you posted on that.
Cheers,
Megs
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Day 25 - Shopping for the remodel!
Today was shopping day!
I thought tonight, as I was writing this, that I should have taken pictures of us throughout the four hours we were at the home improvement store. There would have been a myriad of emotions shown through those pictures: elation, exhaustion, confusion, frustration.
But we got the majority of things bought. It was a good thing. Now the real work begins. We are proud about how we've planned and budgeted the whole project and we know it's a reasonable thing for us to do. That's why we could leave the store with a receipt reading $5,000 and not be puking on the way out! It was also a good "marriage counseling" session. Good communication is key!
Below are some pictures of the results of our day: the "command center" and the four foot long receipt. I also put up a picture of the light that's going over our table! Woohoo!
We'll keep you posted on the status of the project.
Cheers,
Megs
Friday, April 19, 2013
Day 24 - Friday Funny!
It's been a long, emotional week for a multitude of reasons. I wanted to end it on a happier, funny note. So here is today's clean joke of the day:
When a woman got married she put a shoebox in the closet and told her husband not to open it. After over 50 years of marriage she was dying and told him to open the box. When he opened it there were 2 doilies and $85,000.00 He ask why this was in the box. She replied “when I got married my mother told me to crochet a doily every time I got mad at you. He smile thinking she was only mad twice and ask what the $85,000.00 was. She replied that's the money from selling the doilies.
LOL!
Jokes like this are funny yet ring surprisingly true in real life.
Dear Husband and I are getting into the nitty gritty of our kitchen remodel....I can't wait until the planning stage is over and we can get our hands dirty! I do like remodeling and fixing a place up. It makes it feel so fresh and clean.
But in the planning stage, the "mad times" seem to be more common than not. There's a lot of frustration in planning a budget while working in abstracts. It's harder for some to envision a room and thus a plan than others. There's a lot of miscommunication that can occur. Toss into the mix the daily stresses of life, and it's a recipe for a fight.
Like the woman in the joke, I think I would have made a lot of money selling doilies. Probably enough to do this remodel! But not every doily would have been justified.
It's hard for me to realize sometimes when my anger is justified and when it's just irrational. Most times it's the latter. I do try to figure it out before letting loose on DH but my pause sometimes gets misinterpreted as well.
Ah marriage. Good communication is a cornerstone of marriage but it is hard to get that sucker put in!
I hope the joke lightens your Friday mood a bit. And that you don't have any doilies to make this weekend!
Cheers,
Megs
When a woman got married she put a shoebox in the closet and told her husband not to open it. After over 50 years of marriage she was dying and told him to open the box. When he opened it there were 2 doilies and $85,000.00 He ask why this was in the box. She replied “when I got married my mother told me to crochet a doily every time I got mad at you. He smile thinking she was only mad twice and ask what the $85,000.00 was. She replied that's the money from selling the doilies.
LOL!
Jokes like this are funny yet ring surprisingly true in real life.
Dear Husband and I are getting into the nitty gritty of our kitchen remodel....I can't wait until the planning stage is over and we can get our hands dirty! I do like remodeling and fixing a place up. It makes it feel so fresh and clean.
But in the planning stage, the "mad times" seem to be more common than not. There's a lot of frustration in planning a budget while working in abstracts. It's harder for some to envision a room and thus a plan than others. There's a lot of miscommunication that can occur. Toss into the mix the daily stresses of life, and it's a recipe for a fight.
Like the woman in the joke, I think I would have made a lot of money selling doilies. Probably enough to do this remodel! But not every doily would have been justified.
It's hard for me to realize sometimes when my anger is justified and when it's just irrational. Most times it's the latter. I do try to figure it out before letting loose on DH but my pause sometimes gets misinterpreted as well.
Ah marriage. Good communication is a cornerstone of marriage but it is hard to get that sucker put in!
I hope the joke lightens your Friday mood a bit. And that you don't have any doilies to make this weekend!
Cheers,
Megs
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Day 23 - Consistency
Parenting is a game. A journey. An adventure. A practice in patience and strength. A venture into the unknown. A dichotomy of chaos and consistency.
The last word seems to be the trickiest. The rest are givens when you bring a new life into the world. I mean - you don't even know exactly what you'll be doing 10 minutes from now let alone for the next 20 years but here we are - responsible for an entire other being for at least that long.
But consistency can be elusive.
I know that it is key to successful parenting, to winning the battles we fight daily. I learned this in undergrad through my education classes and again by experience when actually teaching. And I'm reminded of its importance daily as I deal with Little Man and Little Miss.
There are some things I'm really good at being consistent at: the daily routine, eating as a family, requiring teeth be brushed, getting good food on the table.
Then there are things that I'm really not good at being consistent at: discipline, following through on consequences, breathing.
The first list doesn't matter much if the second list doesn't join it. I am working on it though. But being consistent is hard and exhausting! I'm talking brain-numbing, bone-tired exhausting. Especially for a person who tends to over-complicate things. I have developed so many consequences or series of events for everything I can think Little Man or Little Miss might do. No wonder they don't believe me when I tell them to stop or "blah blah" will happen. The "blah blah" is never the same. Eventually, I get worn out and give in. It's so much easier than pushing against the current.
So what do we do? How do we simplify consequences and discipline so that it is consistent, so it's easier to follow through?
I really don't have a good answer. My brain is so fried by the end of the day that I'm lucky to remember to brush my own teeth. So I obviously need to do something different. Because the kids know.
They can smell inconsistency like a shark smells blood. They love it. They wait for it. They want mom and dad to break down so they can regain their stronghold as King and Queen of the house. They know it will happen eventually and they have the patience to prove it.
And they are right.
So tonight I decided I needed to take a step back. I need to reflect a bit on the behavior that I would assess a consequence for and keep those on the front burners. I came up with the following:
Hitting
Not listening to directions
Sassing back
That's really not a hard list. So then I just need to develop a consequence for them. It could be the same for all three or something a little different for all three. Well....I don't need to develop the consequence; Dear Husband and I should together.
Even better - I should have the kids develop the consequence for these actions! SCORE! This was another tool I learned in my teaching days. Let kids assign their own consequence. They'll usually be a lot harder on themselves than you would be on them. And the kids know the rules and what is allowed and not allowed. I bet they'll be able to come up with some great consequences. Then we can post it and just refer to it. Brain-space saved!
I guess this weekend's chore list has grown a bit: buy all the stuff for our kitchen remodel, come up with a chore chart for each kid (plus actually make it), and discuss and post the consequences for the above actions.
Easy peasy. Ha! I'll let you know how it goes.
Cheers,
Megs
The last word seems to be the trickiest. The rest are givens when you bring a new life into the world. I mean - you don't even know exactly what you'll be doing 10 minutes from now let alone for the next 20 years but here we are - responsible for an entire other being for at least that long.
But consistency can be elusive.
I know that it is key to successful parenting, to winning the battles we fight daily. I learned this in undergrad through my education classes and again by experience when actually teaching. And I'm reminded of its importance daily as I deal with Little Man and Little Miss.
There are some things I'm really good at being consistent at: the daily routine, eating as a family, requiring teeth be brushed, getting good food on the table.
Then there are things that I'm really not good at being consistent at: discipline, following through on consequences, breathing.
The first list doesn't matter much if the second list doesn't join it. I am working on it though. But being consistent is hard and exhausting! I'm talking brain-numbing, bone-tired exhausting. Especially for a person who tends to over-complicate things. I have developed so many consequences or series of events for everything I can think Little Man or Little Miss might do. No wonder they don't believe me when I tell them to stop or "blah blah" will happen. The "blah blah" is never the same. Eventually, I get worn out and give in. It's so much easier than pushing against the current.
So what do we do? How do we simplify consequences and discipline so that it is consistent, so it's easier to follow through?
I really don't have a good answer. My brain is so fried by the end of the day that I'm lucky to remember to brush my own teeth. So I obviously need to do something different. Because the kids know.
They can smell inconsistency like a shark smells blood. They love it. They wait for it. They want mom and dad to break down so they can regain their stronghold as King and Queen of the house. They know it will happen eventually and they have the patience to prove it.
And they are right.
So tonight I decided I needed to take a step back. I need to reflect a bit on the behavior that I would assess a consequence for and keep those on the front burners. I came up with the following:
Hitting
Not listening to directions
Sassing back
That's really not a hard list. So then I just need to develop a consequence for them. It could be the same for all three or something a little different for all three. Well....I don't need to develop the consequence; Dear Husband and I should together.
Even better - I should have the kids develop the consequence for these actions! SCORE! This was another tool I learned in my teaching days. Let kids assign their own consequence. They'll usually be a lot harder on themselves than you would be on them. And the kids know the rules and what is allowed and not allowed. I bet they'll be able to come up with some great consequences. Then we can post it and just refer to it. Brain-space saved!
I guess this weekend's chore list has grown a bit: buy all the stuff for our kitchen remodel, come up with a chore chart for each kid (plus actually make it), and discuss and post the consequences for the above actions.
Easy peasy. Ha! I'll let you know how it goes.
Cheers,
Megs
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Day 22 - Obsession: Jennifer Lawrence
I just saw the preview for Catching Fire - WOOHOO!!! Damn them though - not until November 22??
But this brings up a favorite obsession of mine: Jennifer Lawrence.
She is so real and honest and such a breath of fresh air in Hollywood. Her Oscar acceptance speech after she tripped on the stairs? Amazing. Her press handling after that? Even more amazing.
She brushes off comments on her weight, reacts honestly in the moment, and is just generally adorable!
Here are a couple examples as to why I love her:
And I'll leave you with her honest reactions.
Cheers,
Megs
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Day 21 - Boston...Helpers
It's been over 24 hours since the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon. We've had time to process this whole thing bit further but probably are no closer to understanding the hows and whys of this event than we were yesterday. Investigators are combing through cell phone records and tracking down photos and videos taken at the race for clues as to who planted the bombs. Medical teams are still working on the various injured people who flooded their hallways in the moments after the first blast. Family members are maybe hearing from their loved ones for the first time. Street crews are beginning to clean up the debris that police officers have combed over for clues.
The world keeps turning. The morning came.
It is hard to comprehend humanity at times like this. At times like Newtown. At times like Aurora, CO.
It takes us time to process the events. We go through the phases of the emotional cycle of death - denial, anger, depression...we feel helpless. We want to help and wonder how.
Some of us will strike out in anger. Others will hug their kids a little tighter. Some will internalize the feelings. Others will be pulled to help those around them in response to a tragedy states away.
There will be analytical articles, expressive poems, and a multitude of blogs posted over the next few days. One blogger posted after he heard about the Boston Marathon Explosion. One line really stuck with me: "One of them [prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence] is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness."
This is a significant point. There are billions of people on earth. A sliver of them commit evil acts. Millions more contribute to the good of this planet.
A quote that circled after Newtown and will circle again is the one from Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers): "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"
When we feel helpless and stuck because of the distance from the tragedy or a lack of direction of what to do, there is hope found in those individuals who are there. The runners that turned away from the finish line towards the blast. The National Guard members who ran towards explosions that probably sounded eerily familiar from their times overseas. The medics and first responders on site for the runners turning towards those injured in the blast.
Mr. Rogers' quote reminds me of a speech from one of the best written shows to date - The West Wing:
"Three swimmers from the men's team were killed, and two others are in critical condition, when, after having heard the explosion from their practice facility, they ran into the fire to help get people out. Ran into the fire. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight..."
The way Martin Sheen delivers the speech is breathtaking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQWxgnFc1fk .
I've seen the episode no less than eight times, and it still brings me to tears because it highlights the hope in humanity rather than focusing on the evildoers, something we do too often in this society.
Someone once told me that worry was the prayer for things you don't want. This train of thought could possibly be extended. The more we focus on the darkness, the greater it will grow. The less we focus on the light...the helpers....the smaller they will become. It is a time as a society to look at those individuals who ran towards those hurting. Lift them up. Praise them. Focus on them. Put their names in the headlines. Let the police and investigators focus on the sliver that perpetuated the crimes. Let them make their darkness smaller.
I hope and pray those responsible will be brought to justice. I hope and pray the three dead, the other hundreds injured and their families will find peace. I hope and prayer we as a country can magnify the light.
Cheers,
Megs
The world keeps turning. The morning came.
It is hard to comprehend humanity at times like this. At times like Newtown. At times like Aurora, CO.
It takes us time to process the events. We go through the phases of the emotional cycle of death - denial, anger, depression...we feel helpless. We want to help and wonder how.
Some of us will strike out in anger. Others will hug their kids a little tighter. Some will internalize the feelings. Others will be pulled to help those around them in response to a tragedy states away.
There will be analytical articles, expressive poems, and a multitude of blogs posted over the next few days. One blogger posted after he heard about the Boston Marathon Explosion. One line really stuck with me: "One of them [prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence] is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness."
This is a significant point. There are billions of people on earth. A sliver of them commit evil acts. Millions more contribute to the good of this planet.
A quote that circled after Newtown and will circle again is the one from Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers): "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"
When we feel helpless and stuck because of the distance from the tragedy or a lack of direction of what to do, there is hope found in those individuals who are there. The runners that turned away from the finish line towards the blast. The National Guard members who ran towards explosions that probably sounded eerily familiar from their times overseas. The medics and first responders on site for the runners turning towards those injured in the blast.
Mr. Rogers' quote reminds me of a speech from one of the best written shows to date - The West Wing:
"Three swimmers from the men's team were killed, and two others are in critical condition, when, after having heard the explosion from their practice facility, they ran into the fire to help get people out. Ran into the fire. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight..."
The way Martin Sheen delivers the speech is breathtaking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQWxgnFc1fk .
I've seen the episode no less than eight times, and it still brings me to tears because it highlights the hope in humanity rather than focusing on the evildoers, something we do too often in this society.
Someone once told me that worry was the prayer for things you don't want. This train of thought could possibly be extended. The more we focus on the darkness, the greater it will grow. The less we focus on the light...the helpers....the smaller they will become. It is a time as a society to look at those individuals who ran towards those hurting. Lift them up. Praise them. Focus on them. Put their names in the headlines. Let the police and investigators focus on the sliver that perpetuated the crimes. Let them make their darkness smaller.
I hope and pray those responsible will be brought to justice. I hope and pray the three dead, the other hundreds injured and their families will find peace. I hope and prayer we as a country can magnify the light.
Cheers,
Megs
Monday, April 15, 2013
Day 20 - Addicted
I am. I have a serious addiction. I probably need to seek medical assistance.
I blame Dear Husband.
It's a game on my damn iPhone called Blitz. OH. MY. GOSH.
DH would play this while we watched our shows (second addiction). I would get so annoyed because he wasn't even paying attention. I finally gave in when we updated our phones and it was a free download. He gave me a few pointers and I was off. It was a slippery slope.
A round takes a minute. So if I'm waiting a minute, I play. Tonight I was uploading a bunch of pictures to Craigslist (Sooooo slow) and would play a round after every picture. It's seriously sick.
I mean, why can't I become addicted to something awesomely healthy for me like running...or tofu...or water.
Well, I know the answer to that - because all three of those things suck. I hate the feeling running, the texture of tofu, and the lack-of-taste in water. I just can't bring myself to do/try any of those three. So, instead, I allow myself to become addicted to a game I can play on the phone.
I honestly do need to keep myself in check. My eyes are bad - REALLY bad and staring at a tiny screen will only make them worse. Plus I'm seeing series of threes in everything. Not a good thing when I'm staring at Little Miss's face picturing a third eye to make a row.
It is nice to have a mindless activity to do. Sometimes we just need to shut our brains down a bit. The key is to keep it in check.
But like any addiction, just when you think you can stop or at least cut down on the use, you end up getting a score 5 times higher than your highest score (and higher than DH's higher score!):
Pure glorious-ness. I kicked his butt. Granted the next round I only earned a fifth of those points, but I know the next big one is just around the corner!
---------
On a serious note, my heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to all those in Boston and their family and friends that will be affected by this for years to come.
--------
Cheers,
Megs
I blame Dear Husband.
It's a game on my damn iPhone called Blitz. OH. MY. GOSH.
DH would play this while we watched our shows (second addiction). I would get so annoyed because he wasn't even paying attention. I finally gave in when we updated our phones and it was a free download. He gave me a few pointers and I was off. It was a slippery slope.
A round takes a minute. So if I'm waiting a minute, I play. Tonight I was uploading a bunch of pictures to Craigslist (Sooooo slow) and would play a round after every picture. It's seriously sick.
I mean, why can't I become addicted to something awesomely healthy for me like running...or tofu...or water.
Well, I know the answer to that - because all three of those things suck. I hate the feeling running, the texture of tofu, and the lack-of-taste in water. I just can't bring myself to do/try any of those three. So, instead, I allow myself to become addicted to a game I can play on the phone.
I honestly do need to keep myself in check. My eyes are bad - REALLY bad and staring at a tiny screen will only make them worse. Plus I'm seeing series of threes in everything. Not a good thing when I'm staring at Little Miss's face picturing a third eye to make a row.
It is nice to have a mindless activity to do. Sometimes we just need to shut our brains down a bit. The key is to keep it in check.
But like any addiction, just when you think you can stop or at least cut down on the use, you end up getting a score 5 times higher than your highest score (and higher than DH's higher score!):
Pure glorious-ness. I kicked his butt. Granted the next round I only earned a fifth of those points, but I know the next big one is just around the corner!
---------
On a serious note, my heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to all those in Boston and their family and friends that will be affected by this for years to come.
--------
Cheers,
Megs
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Day 19 - Funny!
Pinterest....what a blessing to procrastinators everywhere. Dear Husband usually ends up cursing it after I've been on it for more than 10 minutes. A favorite phrase of mine is, "So I saw this on Pinterest..." He knows that means more work for him. I've even created his own little board for "his projects."
Secretly, I think he likes all the ideas being in one place. But he would never admit that ;)
One of my favorite sections of Pinterest is the humor boards. When I'm having a rough day, I get on there and end up giggling for much longer than anticipated. Then I start sharing them with DH. I figured I'd give him a break tonight, so I'm going to share some of my favorites with ya'll:
And finally - my favorite baby shower/congrats on the baby card ever!!! Someone who will la ugh at this please get pregnant soon!
Cheers,
Megs
Secretly, I think he likes all the ideas being in one place. But he would never admit that ;)
One of my favorite sections of Pinterest is the humor boards. When I'm having a rough day, I get on there and end up giggling for much longer than anticipated. Then I start sharing them with DH. I figured I'd give him a break tonight, so I'm going to share some of my favorites with ya'll:
And finally - my favorite baby shower/congrats on the baby card ever!!! Someone who will la ugh at this please get pregnant soon!
Cheers,
Megs
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Day 18 - Ellie
Our dog. This was a love day. She was pretty sweet. Mainly she didn't try to attack the vacuum while I was cleaning. And then we got these sweet pics of her. And her with the family.
There are days I want to boot her then there are days when my heart overfloweth.
Cheers,
Megs
There are days I want to boot her then there are days when my heart overfloweth.
Cheers,
Megs
Friday, April 12, 2013
Day 17 - What the heck is a playdate?
Seriously...when did these become the norm? Little Man has two in the next couple weeks. Both with boys from his school.
I was talking to some of the women I work with and we were all trying to figure out when having someone watch our kids or having our kids play with the other kids in the neighborhood became "play dates." Are we setting our kids up for future marriages?
I find myself easily engulfed in the lingo mainly because Little Man asks when he can have a play date with So-and-So next. It's the buzz word to hang out with friends.
Wikipedia has a fascinating entry about it including "standard for children of many western cultures because the work schedules for busy parents along with media warnings about leaving children unattended, prevent the kind of play that children of other generations participated in" and "part of the vernacular of popular culture and form a part of children's 'down time'". Children's play dates also lend themselves to the parents developing friendships.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word has been around since 1984. I certainly don't remember my mom using it though! Guess that's another difference of city versus rural life.
The larger picture is that our culture is changing. Play dates are becoming a necessity in the two-income households where working hours extend past school hours. Parents need to pre-arrange childcare/babysitters/play dates for their kids since there are a few hours they won't be home.
Good or bad? Are we losing something where dinner was when the street lights went on and kids headed home? When you could play in the park or playground down the block but still hear your mom yell your name?
It's an interesting cultural development to ponder. Is it worth changing? Do we need to?
Just some thoughts to start your weekend...
Cheers,
Megs
I was talking to some of the women I work with and we were all trying to figure out when having someone watch our kids or having our kids play with the other kids in the neighborhood became "play dates." Are we setting our kids up for future marriages?
I find myself easily engulfed in the lingo mainly because Little Man asks when he can have a play date with So-and-So next. It's the buzz word to hang out with friends.
Wikipedia has a fascinating entry about it including "standard for children of many western cultures because the work schedules for busy parents along with media warnings about leaving children unattended, prevent the kind of play that children of other generations participated in" and "part of the vernacular of popular culture and form a part of children's 'down time'". Children's play dates also lend themselves to the parents developing friendships.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word has been around since 1984. I certainly don't remember my mom using it though! Guess that's another difference of city versus rural life.
The larger picture is that our culture is changing. Play dates are becoming a necessity in the two-income households where working hours extend past school hours. Parents need to pre-arrange childcare/babysitters/play dates for their kids since there are a few hours they won't be home.
Good or bad? Are we losing something where dinner was when the street lights went on and kids headed home? When you could play in the park or playground down the block but still hear your mom yell your name?
It's an interesting cultural development to ponder. Is it worth changing? Do we need to?
Just some thoughts to start your weekend...
Cheers,
Megs
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Day 16 - Just Walk Away
"Sadie pushes me at daycare sometimes."
"Well, you have to walk away."
"I do but she doesn't listen."
"Sometimes you have to tell her to stop then walk away."
"I do but she just pushes me."
"Well....you have to do what you have to do. Say stop and walk away and if she follows you then walk to Ms. Mandi."
"Okay. That's a good idea."
------
I wish I could take credit for the sage advice handed out in the above conversation, but it wasn't me. It wasn't even Dear Husband. It was Little Man talking to his Little Miss on how to handle a pushy girl at daycare. Wise beyond his years!
This advice holds true in lots of scenarios. Sometimes you just have to walk away.
Tonight, we are going over our budget. We have our regular budget that includes groceries, gas, loans, daycare, etc then we have our remodeling budget for the house. It's been adjusted a dozen times because of varying factors, the most recent being a bid on cabinets and the free fridge!
So we are budgeting. This involves the iPad, a yellow legal notepad, the computer, and wine....and whiskey. And cheesecake. And listening.
Usually we end up disagreeing and I shut down. That's my defense mechanism (thank you Mom). DH is pretty good about getting me to come out of it, but more recently I've become more aware of when I do it and realize it's not fair and I try to pull myself out of it. Tonight the disagreement started when we were talking about kitchen cabinets. I want a lot of pretty customized features; DH is realistic about the cost of those. I want something super functional (ie customized features); DH wants functionality too but is aware, again, of the costs. I'm stubborn. I want what I want. DH is very patient with me.
So I "walked" away. I didn't physically walk away but I mentally did. It was dumb to get up-in-arms about cabinets. Yes, I want functionality and a space that works for me but I also want to stick to our budget. It's not worth fighting about at this point. So I apologized, and we moved on.
From when we are toddlers to married adults, walking away can be a valuable tool. Some fights aren't worth fighting. Some mountains aren't worth dying on. This is consistent advice my mother has given me - in more than one scenario. And it's true. Energy is wasted when you fight battles you won't win. Or that you don't care about. Fight the battles you are passionate about.
I'm off to pour my second glass of wine and fight the battle for a pull out cupboard.
Cheers,
Megs
"Well, you have to walk away."
"I do but she doesn't listen."
"Sometimes you have to tell her to stop then walk away."
"I do but she just pushes me."
"Well....you have to do what you have to do. Say stop and walk away and if she follows you then walk to Ms. Mandi."
"Okay. That's a good idea."
------
I wish I could take credit for the sage advice handed out in the above conversation, but it wasn't me. It wasn't even Dear Husband. It was Little Man talking to his Little Miss on how to handle a pushy girl at daycare. Wise beyond his years!
This advice holds true in lots of scenarios. Sometimes you just have to walk away.
Tonight, we are going over our budget. We have our regular budget that includes groceries, gas, loans, daycare, etc then we have our remodeling budget for the house. It's been adjusted a dozen times because of varying factors, the most recent being a bid on cabinets and the free fridge!
So we are budgeting. This involves the iPad, a yellow legal notepad, the computer, and wine....and whiskey. And cheesecake. And listening.
Usually we end up disagreeing and I shut down. That's my defense mechanism (thank you Mom). DH is pretty good about getting me to come out of it, but more recently I've become more aware of when I do it and realize it's not fair and I try to pull myself out of it. Tonight the disagreement started when we were talking about kitchen cabinets. I want a lot of pretty customized features; DH is realistic about the cost of those. I want something super functional (ie customized features); DH wants functionality too but is aware, again, of the costs. I'm stubborn. I want what I want. DH is very patient with me.
So I "walked" away. I didn't physically walk away but I mentally did. It was dumb to get up-in-arms about cabinets. Yes, I want functionality and a space that works for me but I also want to stick to our budget. It's not worth fighting about at this point. So I apologized, and we moved on.
From when we are toddlers to married adults, walking away can be a valuable tool. Some fights aren't worth fighting. Some mountains aren't worth dying on. This is consistent advice my mother has given me - in more than one scenario. And it's true. Energy is wasted when you fight battles you won't win. Or that you don't care about. Fight the battles you are passionate about.
I'm off to pour my second glass of wine and fight the battle for a pull out cupboard.
Cheers,
Megs
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Day 15 - Good News!
We got great news today! FINALLY the lending company approved our offer on the house we are buying/currently living in. It was a short sale but not short by any stretch of the imagination.
So now we are planning the remodel. Here are the before pictures of our kitchen:
Ugly, right? Bright red wall that's not very well painted, unfinished projects, and really beat up cabinetry. The best part is the maple floor. We will be refinishing it too though. Oh - and the gas stove! Woohoo!
The second great thing from today - our new fridge that we got for FREE! Can't get better than that. Thank goodness DH has some sturdy students that can help haul really heavy stuff.
I'll keep you updated as we go through this chaos.
Cheers,
Megs
So now we are planning the remodel. Here are the before pictures of our kitchen:
The second great thing from today - our new fridge that we got for FREE! Can't get better than that. Thank goodness DH has some sturdy students that can help haul really heavy stuff.
I'll keep you updated as we go through this chaos.
Cheers,
Megs
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Day 14 - Teaching Gratitude
Tonight was rough. I know it's a true rough night when Dear Husband and I are maxed out.
It started off fun enough. We got home from work, school, and daycare. DH got his workout in and Little Man and Miss and I got to watch Ellen for almost the entire show. Then we decided to go out to dinner. Woohoo!
Then things turned for the worse. We should have cut our losses.
Little Man apparently thought going out to dinner was a tragedy and was whining. I even said he could get dessert and he whined. SERIOUSLY? I just said we are going out to dinner and you get dessert there and you are whining? I was losing my cool.
So we turned the attitude around a bit and headed out. The night was looking to end up well after all.
Then things turned around again.
A long wait to order plus cold food when it finally came led to ants-in-the-pants for all. The kids weren't horrible but had a general rude attitude about them. After we were in the truck and no thank you had been uttered and they were whining about something else, I lost it. DH and I concluded our kids were a bit spoiled. And acted ungrateful.
Now, granted, we weren't in the best frames of mind. And we have very high expectations of our kids. And they are 3 and 5, which means they are very egocentric. I know all this, but how do we start teaching them the lessons now so they don't turn into spoiled, ungrateful teenagers??
DH and I concluded chores were in order. Now, I've tried a chore chart. I don't remember to put stickers up or whatever plus I don't want to reward the kids for helping out around the house unless it's above and beyond their regular chores. But I need some way to track who has what chore. And how often.
So here are the things to figure out:
1. What chores are age-appropriate?
2. How do I keep track of who does what?
3. How often do they need to do them?
4. How else can we teach gratitude?
I found a couple websites for the types of chores toddlers/preschoolers can do:
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/10/toddler-chores.html
http://familyshare.com/10-chore-ideas-for-your-toddler?Itemid=631#.UWTWkHB0GBE
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/chores-for-children
I think the last link is the one I'm most excited about. It has some real chores. I'm sorry - but "brushing teeth" is not a chore.
So I'm going to start there. Tomorrow, we'll sit down and figure out some chores around the house the divy them up for week one.
Any other ideas on how to teach gratitude?
Cheers,
Megs
It started off fun enough. We got home from work, school, and daycare. DH got his workout in and Little Man and Miss and I got to watch Ellen for almost the entire show. Then we decided to go out to dinner. Woohoo!
Then things turned for the worse. We should have cut our losses.
Little Man apparently thought going out to dinner was a tragedy and was whining. I even said he could get dessert and he whined. SERIOUSLY? I just said we are going out to dinner and you get dessert there and you are whining? I was losing my cool.
So we turned the attitude around a bit and headed out. The night was looking to end up well after all.
Then things turned around again.
A long wait to order plus cold food when it finally came led to ants-in-the-pants for all. The kids weren't horrible but had a general rude attitude about them. After we were in the truck and no thank you had been uttered and they were whining about something else, I lost it. DH and I concluded our kids were a bit spoiled. And acted ungrateful.
Now, granted, we weren't in the best frames of mind. And we have very high expectations of our kids. And they are 3 and 5, which means they are very egocentric. I know all this, but how do we start teaching them the lessons now so they don't turn into spoiled, ungrateful teenagers??
DH and I concluded chores were in order. Now, I've tried a chore chart. I don't remember to put stickers up or whatever plus I don't want to reward the kids for helping out around the house unless it's above and beyond their regular chores. But I need some way to track who has what chore. And how often.
So here are the things to figure out:
1. What chores are age-appropriate?
2. How do I keep track of who does what?
3. How often do they need to do them?
4. How else can we teach gratitude?
I found a couple websites for the types of chores toddlers/preschoolers can do:
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/10/toddler-chores.html
http://familyshare.com/10-chore-ideas-for-your-toddler?Itemid=631#.UWTWkHB0GBE
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/chores-for-children
I think the last link is the one I'm most excited about. It has some real chores. I'm sorry - but "brushing teeth" is not a chore.
So I'm going to start there. Tomorrow, we'll sit down and figure out some chores around the house the divy them up for week one.
Any other ideas on how to teach gratitude?
Cheers,
Megs
Monday, April 8, 2013
Day 13 - MmmmmMmm Leftovers!
I love me some leftovers. Mainly why I love leftovers is because I love the meal so much the first time around!
I'm going to hitch up my bragging pants right now and say I'm a durn good cook. I love to do it. I'm not a chef but I can throw together a pretty decent meal. It may not be on time, but it'll be delicious.
Apparently my standouts are beef roast and eggs (although the latter was extrapolated upon by my hungover brother-in-law...but I'll take any compliment I can get).
So for tonight's post, I decided to get some graphics on this blog. It's a mixture of items I've made over the past few days.
Meal 1:
Grilled cheese rollups with tomato bisque soup.
I stole the idea of the roll-ups from Pinterest (obessed? Yes, I am.) This was a Lenten meal so meat-free. Thought the kids would like dipping their sandwiches. First, I used Tillamook cheese. DELICIOUS but the way over-processed, endless shelf life cheese would have had a better melting/sticky consistency.
Meal 2:
Strawberry mimosas.
Okay - not a meal. But could be! Smoothie like? Anyway, I made these to go with the awesome spread we had at Easter brunch. I didn't get a picture of all the food because we were late getting it on the table. Ahem, I was late getting it on the table.
I didn't have champagne glasses either, but these were better because they were so big.
I pureed fresh strawberries then opted not to strain the seeds (mainly because I couldn't find my mesh strainer). I pureed enough for about 2 cups. Then I dumped a bottle of champagne in the pitcher. I also had pink Moscato but I opted for regular champagne in the strawberry one.
Absolute deliciousness!
Meal 3:
Whole grain spaghetti tossed with zucchini ribbons.
This turned out better than I thought it would. Although it would have been really good had I julienned the zucchini instead of "ribboning" it.
I just cooked up the spaghetti al dente.
I heated EVOO in a pan, tossed in some minced garlic then tossed in the zucchini for about 4 minutes total. I seasoned with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
I used a little bit of water to cook up some of the flavor from the pan.
Then I tossed the two together for a side dish to some pork that was good enough both kids ate it!
Meal 4:
Roasted chicken with zucchini and carrot sticks.
This was our Sunday night dinner. And only the second roasted chicken I've done in six years of marriage (and the first one was for my dad, not DH). I hate, hate, HATE working with raw chicken so a huge almost fully intact chicken - H*LL NO! I think my major aversion to it came when I was prego with Little Man. DH used to have to trim the chicken and get it started cooking while I left the room. I couldn't even handle the smell.
So I've graduated. This turned out awesome. I first seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper then rubbed EVOO, lemon zest, chopped rosemary, and lemon juice over and under the skin. Then I started the chicken roasting breast side down for about half hour at 425. Flip and roast for another 20-25 minutes. Make sure you baste it to get a golden finish.
I left the carving up to DH, which he did quite well.
The veggies were just zucchini and carrots cut up into 3" sticks, tossed in EVOO and seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes) then put on a baking sheet and roasted for about 20 minutes. Turn about half way through.
So there are four successful concoctions of fresh dinners. But my liner was about leftovers, right? Welcome to tonight's dinner: pineapple, mixed "powerfood" salad, and hamburger wraps.
The hamburger wraps were freezer-ed from the last time we had them. Browned burger, cheese, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard. Wrap it in a tortilla and seal it in a panini maker or a waffle maker (which is pretty much the same thing).
We needed a quick meal tonight since Little Miss had dance at 5 and Little Man had hockey turn in at 6:30. Enough time to get home and get it going then eat once the boys got back. Kids only ate the pineapple because they were too busy chatting on their "phones" with each other.
Ah well. More for us!
Bon appetit!
Cheers,
Megs
I'm going to hitch up my bragging pants right now and say I'm a durn good cook. I love to do it. I'm not a chef but I can throw together a pretty decent meal. It may not be on time, but it'll be delicious.
Apparently my standouts are beef roast and eggs (although the latter was extrapolated upon by my hungover brother-in-law...but I'll take any compliment I can get).
So for tonight's post, I decided to get some graphics on this blog. It's a mixture of items I've made over the past few days.
Meal 1:
Grilled cheese rollups with tomato bisque soup.
I stole the idea of the roll-ups from Pinterest (obessed? Yes, I am.) This was a Lenten meal so meat-free. Thought the kids would like dipping their sandwiches. First, I used Tillamook cheese. DELICIOUS but the way over-processed, endless shelf life cheese would have had a better melting/sticky consistency.
Meal 2:
Strawberry mimosas.
Okay - not a meal. But could be! Smoothie like? Anyway, I made these to go with the awesome spread we had at Easter brunch. I didn't get a picture of all the food because we were late getting it on the table. Ahem, I was late getting it on the table.I didn't have champagne glasses either, but these were better because they were so big.
I pureed fresh strawberries then opted not to strain the seeds (mainly because I couldn't find my mesh strainer). I pureed enough for about 2 cups. Then I dumped a bottle of champagne in the pitcher. I also had pink Moscato but I opted for regular champagne in the strawberry one.
Absolute deliciousness!
Meal 3:
Whole grain spaghetti tossed with zucchini ribbons.
I just cooked up the spaghetti al dente.
I heated EVOO in a pan, tossed in some minced garlic then tossed in the zucchini for about 4 minutes total. I seasoned with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
I used a little bit of water to cook up some of the flavor from the pan.
Then I tossed the two together for a side dish to some pork that was good enough both kids ate it!
Meal 4:
Roasted chicken with zucchini and carrot sticks.
This was our Sunday night dinner. And only the second roasted chicken I've done in six years of marriage (and the first one was for my dad, not DH). I hate, hate, HATE working with raw chicken so a huge almost fully intact chicken - H*LL NO! I think my major aversion to it came when I was prego with Little Man. DH used to have to trim the chicken and get it started cooking while I left the room. I couldn't even handle the smell.So I've graduated. This turned out awesome. I first seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper then rubbed EVOO, lemon zest, chopped rosemary, and lemon juice over and under the skin. Then I started the chicken roasting breast side down for about half hour at 425. Flip and roast for another 20-25 minutes. Make sure you baste it to get a golden finish.
I left the carving up to DH, which he did quite well.
The veggies were just zucchini and carrots cut up into 3" sticks, tossed in EVOO and seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes) then put on a baking sheet and roasted for about 20 minutes. Turn about half way through.
The hamburger wraps were freezer-ed from the last time we had them. Browned burger, cheese, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard. Wrap it in a tortilla and seal it in a panini maker or a waffle maker (which is pretty much the same thing).
We needed a quick meal tonight since Little Miss had dance at 5 and Little Man had hockey turn in at 6:30. Enough time to get home and get it going then eat once the boys got back. Kids only ate the pineapple because they were too busy chatting on their "phones" with each other.
Ah well. More for us!
Bon appetit!
Cheers,
Megs
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Day 12 - Store Temper Tantrums...
I was smug. I thought I had kids that never acted that way in public. I was proud of it. I bragged.
Ha!
Haha!
Hahahahahahaha!
So God laughed at me. Enter "Rug Hunt 2013" and "Chicken Trek 2013". Holy Guacamole.
Today, I had a simple errand to run. All I had to do was go to the grocery store to pick up four items: 4 pound chicken to roast, parsley, rosemary, and large carrots. If something inspired for dessert, we'd grab that too. Yes, "we". I had both kids in tow. Not a big deal. We do quick runs to stores all the time and for the most part, they are well behaved. Sometimes they'll get antsy in the checkout line, but nothing crazy.
Absolutely nothing like the magazine articles "What to do when your child goes bat sh*t crazy in the store".
Until today.
Well, until about a month ago.
Bad timing. That's what I chalk it up to. Really. Bad. Timing.
The first round was when I was hunting for house stuff. If anyone has ever gone into a Target with me, they know how ADD I can be. I mean - who isn't in that beautiful, mood-boosting store!?!? I love it! And I can usually make it awhile with the kids. However, on this trek, mistake #1 was going there after we had already gone to Ross and Shopko.
Mistake #2 was letting Little Miss walk with the shopping cart instead of riding in it.
I thought I had set myself up well for the trip by doing the first two stores then having a snack in the food court of Target. That's part of the advice the magazines give you, right? Make sure they are fed and have rested?
What they don't say is that food gives the kids energy. And energy equals danger when the children are not restrained in the red happy cart.
So I was trying to decide on a rug for our family room and chaos broke out. Little Miss started climbing on the metal shelves. Little Man started running his fingernails up and down the plastic thus tearing it. Little Miss thought this was hilarious so she started copying him. He didn't like the copying so he smacked her. She started crying. Then, when the consequences set in, they literally threw themselves on the ground in the middle of the aisle crying, again.
At this point, I should have thrown in the towel. Instead, I thought "Hey, we can do this. We can get over this hump. I can muster up a recovery."
Ha!
Haha!
Ha!
Haha!
Hahahahahahaha!
So God laughed at me. Enter "Rug Hunt 2013" and "Chicken Trek 2013". Holy Guacamole.
Today, I had a simple errand to run. All I had to do was go to the grocery store to pick up four items: 4 pound chicken to roast, parsley, rosemary, and large carrots. If something inspired for dessert, we'd grab that too. Yes, "we". I had both kids in tow. Not a big deal. We do quick runs to stores all the time and for the most part, they are well behaved. Sometimes they'll get antsy in the checkout line, but nothing crazy.
Absolutely nothing like the magazine articles "What to do when your child goes bat sh*t crazy in the store".
Until today.
Well, until about a month ago.
Bad timing. That's what I chalk it up to. Really. Bad. Timing.
The first round was when I was hunting for house stuff. If anyone has ever gone into a Target with me, they know how ADD I can be. I mean - who isn't in that beautiful, mood-boosting store!?!? I love it! And I can usually make it awhile with the kids. However, on this trek, mistake #1 was going there after we had already gone to Ross and Shopko.
Mistake #2 was letting Little Miss walk with the shopping cart instead of riding in it.
I thought I had set myself up well for the trip by doing the first two stores then having a snack in the food court of Target. That's part of the advice the magazines give you, right? Make sure they are fed and have rested?
What they don't say is that food gives the kids energy. And energy equals danger when the children are not restrained in the red happy cart.
So I was trying to decide on a rug for our family room and chaos broke out. Little Miss started climbing on the metal shelves. Little Man started running his fingernails up and down the plastic thus tearing it. Little Miss thought this was hilarious so she started copying him. He didn't like the copying so he smacked her. She started crying. Then, when the consequences set in, they literally threw themselves on the ground in the middle of the aisle crying, again.
At this point, I should have thrown in the towel. Instead, I thought "Hey, we can do this. We can get over this hump. I can muster up a recovery."
Ha!
Haha!
Hahahahahahaha!
God laughed at me again.
They spiraled downward quickly. I finally decided to cut my losses and we were out. I checked out with my decorative pillow and luscious throw then beelined to the car. After we were safely in the car, I lectured and yelled. Wasn't pretty. We had quiet time in the car and both ended up falling asleep.
Mistake #3: Shopping when they were overtired.
So enter Chicken Trek....today's mission. Little Miss and Little Man were alternating pushing the kid cart that this grocery store has. They are awesome...when I have one child. But today, they were actually doing really well. We picked up items 1, 2, 3, and 4 without incident. Then I had to find kitchen twine. And I couldn't. Every aisle, no twine. That's when Little Miss lost it.
She let Little Man take over the pushing then flipped out for some reason. I honestly can't remember why. She threw herself on the floor and sat in the middle of the aisle. I kept going with Little Man praying she got over it. She ran after me crying. Then she ran down the aisle toward me and fell again. Crying. I wasn't yelling, I was being incredibly patient, empathetic, and loving. She wanted up, so I picked her up. Then she freaked again.
I decided to take the advice of the magazine articles and we headed out. I hustled to the checkout with Little Man pushing the cart and Little Miss now screaming. Oh yah - the shoppers were starting to stare. Did I mention this was Sunday afternoon? Like - the height of traffic at a grocery store!?
So we were in line and the lady in front of us was taking her sweet time checking out. I had Little Miss in an iron grip trying to keep her from hurting herself as she flailed back. Finally we were on our way out and she hit me. Full on slap.
I moved to silent mode.
We checked out, she was crying, Tyson was lecturing her on how she shouldn't act in a store, and it was raining. But I didn't yell. WOOHOO!
For 10 minutes back to our house, all I heard from her was "I want Mom!" What? That doesn't even make sense. But that is the kids' battle cry when they are hurting or sad or mad or have been punished. Even if I'm the one that did the punishing and Dad is saving the day. "I want Mom!"
Hopefully I'll learn my lesson and just not take them anymore. But what do can you do sometimes? Grin and bear it.
Cheers,
Megs
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Day 11 - Big Decisions
First, happy Saturday! These days can be so lethargic yet hectic. Quite the dichotomy.
Second, just want to share an important lesson (re)learned with my Dear Husband tonight - laugh with your spouse. Over whatever. Just make sure you laugh. DH has the cutest smile and giggle when he really gets laughing. Makes me fall in love with him all over again.
Third, laughing helps us get through those big decisions. Right now a big decision/discussion/pondering thought process we (I) are (am) going through is whether to have a third child or not. It's a doozy!
We have a boy and a girl. They don't out-number us. We can each take one to share some special time. They each have their own room and space. We can take an evening walk without too much chaos. One usually balances out the other in terms of moods. We can stick with a smaller car.
Those are some reasons we are satisfied with two kids. Okay - those are the semi-superficial ones.
But lately, I've had this pull. The maternal pull. Yes, might sound strange since I am a mother of two beautiful, hilarious kids. But I think most women feel that deep pull in their gut at some point that gets your brain thinking about a baby. I also think the fact that I no longer hyperventilate around pregnant women is a good sign.
You see, after Little Miss was born, DH was deployed for a year. That cured me of wanting a third child. I would literally have anxiety attacks when I would see pregnant women in public with one or two kids in tow. I couldn't handle it. Obviously God needed me to feel that way because there was no way I was getting pregnant. Not being able to get pregnant (because of a forced year long abstinence) but wanting to be pregnant would not have been a healthy addition to my state of mind that year.
Now he's been back almost two years. The pull is starting to tug a bit. It's a continuous conversation between DH and myself. He's more hesitant than I. I should say he's a more steady thinker than I. He doesn't change his opinion much. I go back and forth....constantly. (More on that in a different post) So I understand his hesitation. I also honestly know he would be overjoyed with a third child because he's that awesome. He's that patient. He's that great of a father.
Could I handle a third child? Well, if God brought him or her to us, then of course I could. I like to think I've learned a lot with the first two and I'd be more patient. Honestly, that's why I'm really focusing on the not yelling and being more understanding part. If we do get pregnant, I want to grow into an even better mom.
So....third baby or no third baby?
Cheers,
Megs
Friday, April 5, 2013
Day 10 - Great Mother Moments
It's Friday and my mother moments today were weak. My patience was nil. I'm tired. I'm staring down the barrel of a Saturday where Dear Husband is helping at a track meet and there's a four-year-old birthday party. Should be interesting.
So I'm turning to one of my favorite TV moms: Claire Dunphy.
Here is a link to one of the best moments I've seen so far. I love Julie Bowen's comic delivery and so hope and pray I can teach this valuable lesson to my children one day (minus the whole boyfriend-on-the-couch part).
http://www.wdbj7.com/videogallery/72546965/Entertainment/apos-Modern-Family-apos-apos-Bringing-Up-Baby-apos-Hangover-cure
Enjoy your Friday and the beginning of the weekend!
Cheers,
Megs
So I'm turning to one of my favorite TV moms: Claire Dunphy.
Here is a link to one of the best moments I've seen so far. I love Julie Bowen's comic delivery and so hope and pray I can teach this valuable lesson to my children one day (minus the whole boyfriend-on-the-couch part).
http://www.wdbj7.com/videogallery/72546965/Entertainment/apos-Modern-Family-apos-apos-Bringing-Up-Baby-apos-Hangover-cure
Enjoy your Friday and the beginning of the weekend!
Cheers,
Megs
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Day 9 - Eating Crow
I have a confession: I'm a bit of a control freak.
Whew....that feels good to get off my chest. It's taken me years to realize that and I know it'll probably come as a shock to most, if not all of you. Yah, I can be bossy too.
I KNOW! CONFESSIONS ABOUND!!!!
........
(HAHAHAHAHA)
Okay - so that was all dripping with sarcasm. If you spend more than 10 minutes with me you will realize I can be a super control freak and border on having OCD and I hate chaos. I blame the confusion of growing up middle child but oldest girl. That creates a complicated "where am I?" scenario. To adapt, I decided to be a leader. Some may call it bossy. I call it leading.
Like in second grade when I told the kids in front of me to be quiet and stand still. I was just helping the music teacher keep the class in line. Lucky (unfortunately?) that was caught on tape.
Or in seventh grade when I was point guard and had to constantly tell...ahem...lead my teammates where to go. Unfortunately that was during a game...while I had the ball....and I had quit dribbling and just walked around. Yah...that happened more than once.
Or at camp where the nickname pretty much from day 1 was Mother Megs. I decided to take that as an endearing name and embraced it fully.
All this evidence was presented to Dear Husband years before he became Dear Husband. He knowingly and willingly entered into marriage with a bos...er...leader.
However, with leading comes humility and acceptance. This is a thematic conversation DH and I have a lot. Well, we've had a lot more recently.
For example, tonight, he lovingly said he would do the dishes. Now....he HATES dishes. He hates wet hands, cleaning out the drain, getting food anywhere but his mouth, and just the general gross that is washing dishes. Because it isn't just washing dishes. It's getting all of them to fit in the dishwasher, wiping down the counters and the table, getting the food off the floor, and putting the leftovers in the fridge.
I, on the other hand, find washing dishes strangely relaxing. Taking the chaos of dinner and turning our kitchen back into an orderly state. However, it is exhausting after working all day, handling kids, and being on my feet while cooking dinner. Standing for however many more minutes shouldn't be that appealing.
So when he offered tonight - for probably the FIRST time in the six years of our marriage - I should have jumped up and said "H*ll yeah baby!"
Instead, I said "Well....you might not do it right."
Really?
I mean - really? (refer to the first paragraph to determine why I said that)
He shrugged and said fine but also proceeded to point out the mere fact of him offering is a once in six year thing. I ate crow and told him he was right and I was wrong (also a once in a six year thing! LOL.)
It's the giving up of control and working as a team that builds a stronger marriage. We've discussed teamwork quite often recently - mainly in regards to parenting but it applies to all aspects of marriage. One person can't do it all. Everyone is needed. Not everyone can be the quarterback but without the O-line the quarterback wouldn't be any good. In a marriage, both partners have their gifts that make them shine and strengthen the team. It is our job as the other's teammate to help them foster those gifts, not bring them down.
That is a goal I have. To be more appreciative of my husband's gifts (like his amazing ability to play with our kids when I honestly have no idea what to do). I need to give up control of this world.
It's hard and humbling but completely worth it.....like when I get to give the kids a bath instead of the dishes. They are much more fun!
Cheers,
Megs
Whew....that feels good to get off my chest. It's taken me years to realize that and I know it'll probably come as a shock to most, if not all of you. Yah, I can be bossy too.
I KNOW! CONFESSIONS ABOUND!!!!
........
(HAHAHAHAHA)
Okay - so that was all dripping with sarcasm. If you spend more than 10 minutes with me you will realize I can be a super control freak and border on having OCD and I hate chaos. I blame the confusion of growing up middle child but oldest girl. That creates a complicated "where am I?" scenario. To adapt, I decided to be a leader. Some may call it bossy. I call it leading.
Like in second grade when I told the kids in front of me to be quiet and stand still. I was just helping the music teacher keep the class in line. Lucky (unfortunately?) that was caught on tape.
Or in seventh grade when I was point guard and had to constantly tell...ahem...lead my teammates where to go. Unfortunately that was during a game...while I had the ball....and I had quit dribbling and just walked around. Yah...that happened more than once.
Or at camp where the nickname pretty much from day 1 was Mother Megs. I decided to take that as an endearing name and embraced it fully.
All this evidence was presented to Dear Husband years before he became Dear Husband. He knowingly and willingly entered into marriage with a bos...er...leader.
However, with leading comes humility and acceptance. This is a thematic conversation DH and I have a lot. Well, we've had a lot more recently.
For example, tonight, he lovingly said he would do the dishes. Now....he HATES dishes. He hates wet hands, cleaning out the drain, getting food anywhere but his mouth, and just the general gross that is washing dishes. Because it isn't just washing dishes. It's getting all of them to fit in the dishwasher, wiping down the counters and the table, getting the food off the floor, and putting the leftovers in the fridge.
I, on the other hand, find washing dishes strangely relaxing. Taking the chaos of dinner and turning our kitchen back into an orderly state. However, it is exhausting after working all day, handling kids, and being on my feet while cooking dinner. Standing for however many more minutes shouldn't be that appealing.
So when he offered tonight - for probably the FIRST time in the six years of our marriage - I should have jumped up and said "H*ll yeah baby!"
Instead, I said "Well....you might not do it right."
Really?
I mean - really? (refer to the first paragraph to determine why I said that)
He shrugged and said fine but also proceeded to point out the mere fact of him offering is a once in six year thing. I ate crow and told him he was right and I was wrong (also a once in a six year thing! LOL.)
It's the giving up of control and working as a team that builds a stronger marriage. We've discussed teamwork quite often recently - mainly in regards to parenting but it applies to all aspects of marriage. One person can't do it all. Everyone is needed. Not everyone can be the quarterback but without the O-line the quarterback wouldn't be any good. In a marriage, both partners have their gifts that make them shine and strengthen the team. It is our job as the other's teammate to help them foster those gifts, not bring them down.
That is a goal I have. To be more appreciative of my husband's gifts (like his amazing ability to play with our kids when I honestly have no idea what to do). I need to give up control of this world.
It's hard and humbling but completely worth it.....like when I get to give the kids a bath instead of the dishes. They are much more fun!
Cheers,
Megs
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Day 8 - Where's the camera!
Oh my goodness. Tonight was a mixture of hallmark moments and tear-your-hair-out, close-to-yelling moments.
It started out as a pretty standard evening. Did a PJ walk after dinner. Amazing way to get some last minute squirrlies out of the kids' systems. Then teeth and bed. All without any major meltdowns - MAGIC! Hallmark.
Little Man then decided to have a superhero battle in his room. (Dear Husband and I decided awhile ago that fighting the "lay still, be quiet" battle was too exhausting. If he got too loud, we stepped in. Otherwise, he pretty much figured out the longer and later he stayed up, the worse it was to get up at 6:45 AM.) We gave him a couple warnings, and he seemed to settle down so we were settling into our evening routine.
The noise of his door opening caught my attention so I waited for him to come downstairs. He didn't so I figured he just opened it for light. And it was quiet so I also figured he had settled down. Hahahahahahaha. Oh silly me.
I heard little footsteps, so went up to investigate. Sure enough he was coming out of Little Miss's room. "I was just checking on her!" he said as he hurried into his own room. I told him to stay in his own room and tucked him in one last time.
Then I went to check on Little Miss and shut her door "so Ellie doesn't lick my face." This is where the camera was needed. I couldn't see her. She was buried under a mound of stuffed animals, a huge baby doll, and all seven books she had on her floor. Seriously!?? All this while still sleeping. I pulled off all of the animals except the three little babies were tightly tucked under her arm.
I immediately went into Tyson's room and was on the verge of yelling. Instead, I simply asked if he did it. He was given three tries (because the first two he lied to me about). Then he confessed. No reason why, just that he did it. I explained why that wasn't okay and that it would be scary to wake up with stuff all over one's face. I told him to stay in his room then left.
No yelling.
I managed to find some humor in it.
And I kicked myself for not having my camera with me!
Moments like this are priceless. If I had yelled, I would have messed that up. He was playing a trick on his sister. Not acceptable, but fairly innocent. He didn't wake her up (thank goodness). And afterwards, he stayed in bed and both are now sleeping sweetly.
Guess I need to invest in more sweatpants with pockets for my camera!
Cheers -
Megs
It started out as a pretty standard evening. Did a PJ walk after dinner. Amazing way to get some last minute squirrlies out of the kids' systems. Then teeth and bed. All without any major meltdowns - MAGIC! Hallmark.
Little Man then decided to have a superhero battle in his room. (Dear Husband and I decided awhile ago that fighting the "lay still, be quiet" battle was too exhausting. If he got too loud, we stepped in. Otherwise, he pretty much figured out the longer and later he stayed up, the worse it was to get up at 6:45 AM.) We gave him a couple warnings, and he seemed to settle down so we were settling into our evening routine.
The noise of his door opening caught my attention so I waited for him to come downstairs. He didn't so I figured he just opened it for light. And it was quiet so I also figured he had settled down. Hahahahahahaha. Oh silly me.
I heard little footsteps, so went up to investigate. Sure enough he was coming out of Little Miss's room. "I was just checking on her!" he said as he hurried into his own room. I told him to stay in his own room and tucked him in one last time.
Then I went to check on Little Miss and shut her door "so Ellie doesn't lick my face." This is where the camera was needed. I couldn't see her. She was buried under a mound of stuffed animals, a huge baby doll, and all seven books she had on her floor. Seriously!?? All this while still sleeping. I pulled off all of the animals except the three little babies were tightly tucked under her arm.
I immediately went into Tyson's room and was on the verge of yelling. Instead, I simply asked if he did it. He was given three tries (because the first two he lied to me about). Then he confessed. No reason why, just that he did it. I explained why that wasn't okay and that it would be scary to wake up with stuff all over one's face. I told him to stay in his room then left.
No yelling.
I managed to find some humor in it.
And I kicked myself for not having my camera with me!
Moments like this are priceless. If I had yelled, I would have messed that up. He was playing a trick on his sister. Not acceptable, but fairly innocent. He didn't wake her up (thank goodness). And afterwards, he stayed in bed and both are now sleeping sweetly.
Guess I need to invest in more sweatpants with pockets for my camera!
Cheers -
Megs
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Day 7 - 30 Second Dance Party!
It's been a week of posts on this little blog. Strange that after having two kids and being married for almost six years, one celebrates a week-long commitment, but in this crazy chaos of early motherhood, committing to something and having it last a week is a great accomplishment!
The post "headline" might sound familiar to some of you. It's a line from "Grey's Anatomy" - the popular soap medical drama on ABC. It's one of my Dear Husband's and my shows. Our shows are near and dear to us.
Here's the rundown of what we watch religiously:
Grey's Anatomy
Scandal
Go On
Last Man Standing
Parenthood
Nashville
The Americans (even though it's web only...blah. So we are on hiatus for a little bit.)
For backup in case none of those are new:
Friday Night Lights
West Wing
It may seem like a lot to take in, but for two hours every night, DH and I have date night. We don't have cable so the only requirement is that the shows can be seen on Hulu or Amazon Instant Watch or Netflix. All of our's (except for The Good Wife, which we have seemingly dropped) can. Score!
We have a nice mix of drama and comedy. We've added and lost shows over the last six years. We used to really be into the criminal dramas but decided for my mental health that needed to stop. Anytime a child was in danger or worse, I lost it. I mean LOST IT. I would have nightmares and horrible "what if" scenarios constantly running through my head. Not good. Still happens sometimes with the shows we have, but not as often.
We don't have a plethora of go-out date nights, but we have nightly stay-in dates. We put the kids down then have some dessert and watch some shows. I usually fold laundry or do some other task because I feel so unproductive just sitting there. For some reason, men never feel that way. Is that genetic??
Anyway, it doesn't matter necessarily what we watch; it's that we have a commitment to doing it. We don't like going to bed before the other (me especially) and we (almost) never watch an "our show" without the other. And if one was to do that (ahem - DH), then he....they...would be ridiculed and teased for a good amount of time about it (i.e. TV-whore, TV-slut....I'm real mature with my insults).
Now, I do have my own backup shows. DH has drill weekends and football games so I need to do something while folding laundry by myself! Here's my personal list (most of which DH can't stomach):
Smash
Glee
Parks and Recreation
New Girl
Up All Night
See the common, happy, up beat, fun, mostly-brainless theme surrounding all of them? No heavy dramas for me by myself! I learned my lesson with the year-long deployment when I decided to watch documentaries about dolphin killings and the sad, sad "Letters to Zachary" and Army Wives. I mean - what the h*ll was I thinking!??
So I pulled myself out of that rut and sat myself at the happy show table. Thank goodness! Usually just what the doctor ordered after a day/weekend of having Little Man and Little Miss to myself.
Be it together or when we are separated, TV provides an escape from our every day lives yet reflects something within our lives. When we are together, it's an awesome date night. We end up discussing things from the shows quite often, I think more than we realize. It's something we look forward to together. It's our "us" time.
I've talked about the guilt in getting me-time.....for some reason I feel 100% less guilty about having us-time. It's so important to do sans children. We've created a lot of memories and had some great discussions, arguments, etc during these times. It even helps end a fight. There will be silence while we brood then one will say "do you want to watch something?" and the other will have to say yes. Show starts, we laugh, fight is over. Well, maybe not over but it usually puts the fight into perspective.
So if you don't have one (or 10) already with your spouse, significant other, roommate, best friend - FIND ONE! Find one that's a guilty pleasure - makes it even better.
Cheers -
Megs
The post "headline" might sound familiar to some of you. It's a line from "Grey's Anatomy" - the popular soap medical drama on ABC. It's one of my Dear Husband's and my shows. Our shows are near and dear to us.
Here's the rundown of what we watch religiously:
Grey's Anatomy
Scandal
Go On
Last Man Standing
Parenthood
Nashville
The Americans (even though it's web only...blah. So we are on hiatus for a little bit.)
For backup in case none of those are new:
Friday Night Lights
West Wing
It may seem like a lot to take in, but for two hours every night, DH and I have date night. We don't have cable so the only requirement is that the shows can be seen on Hulu or Amazon Instant Watch or Netflix. All of our's (except for The Good Wife, which we have seemingly dropped) can. Score!
We have a nice mix of drama and comedy. We've added and lost shows over the last six years. We used to really be into the criminal dramas but decided for my mental health that needed to stop. Anytime a child was in danger or worse, I lost it. I mean LOST IT. I would have nightmares and horrible "what if" scenarios constantly running through my head. Not good. Still happens sometimes with the shows we have, but not as often.
We don't have a plethora of go-out date nights, but we have nightly stay-in dates. We put the kids down then have some dessert and watch some shows. I usually fold laundry or do some other task because I feel so unproductive just sitting there. For some reason, men never feel that way. Is that genetic??
Anyway, it doesn't matter necessarily what we watch; it's that we have a commitment to doing it. We don't like going to bed before the other (me especially) and we (almost) never watch an "our show" without the other. And if one was to do that (ahem - DH), then he....they...would be ridiculed and teased for a good amount of time about it (i.e. TV-whore, TV-slut....I'm real mature with my insults).
Now, I do have my own backup shows. DH has drill weekends and football games so I need to do something while folding laundry by myself! Here's my personal list (most of which DH can't stomach):
Smash
Glee
Parks and Recreation
New Girl
Up All Night
See the common, happy, up beat, fun, mostly-brainless theme surrounding all of them? No heavy dramas for me by myself! I learned my lesson with the year-long deployment when I decided to watch documentaries about dolphin killings and the sad, sad "Letters to Zachary" and Army Wives. I mean - what the h*ll was I thinking!??
So I pulled myself out of that rut and sat myself at the happy show table. Thank goodness! Usually just what the doctor ordered after a day/weekend of having Little Man and Little Miss to myself.
Be it together or when we are separated, TV provides an escape from our every day lives yet reflects something within our lives. When we are together, it's an awesome date night. We end up discussing things from the shows quite often, I think more than we realize. It's something we look forward to together. It's our "us" time.
I've talked about the guilt in getting me-time.....for some reason I feel 100% less guilty about having us-time. It's so important to do sans children. We've created a lot of memories and had some great discussions, arguments, etc during these times. It even helps end a fight. There will be silence while we brood then one will say "do you want to watch something?" and the other will have to say yes. Show starts, we laugh, fight is over. Well, maybe not over but it usually puts the fight into perspective.
So if you don't have one (or 10) already with your spouse, significant other, roommate, best friend - FIND ONE! Find one that's a guilty pleasure - makes it even better.
Cheers -
Megs
Monday, April 1, 2013
Day 6 - The search for balance continues...
I believe balance is a journey...
I'm sure an Eastern philosopher or Buddhist monk has probably written more eloquently on the subject than I. I'm also pretty sure that philosopher or monk did not have two kids, a dog, a husband, a house that refused to close, etc amid which they were forced to find balance.
Tonight, it was just me. This is a rare occurrence. I can count on one hand how many times it's been just me in the house. Well, me and Ellie. She's my protector. Dear Husband offered to take her today but I needed my girl with me tonight (see, the love is back). He did whisk Little Man and Little Miss away for an overnight trip to visit grandparents, so it's just me. Balance was my goal.
The day was fairly long at work due to one of my bosses being gone; however, I came home and decided to walk to my dad's for dinner (he's also home alone since mom is flying to see other grandbabies). Now, if you know me, you know I don't really exercise. Walking is about the extent of it and that is rare. Time is the main constraint with motivation coming in a close second. So walking to dinner was a huge thing for me. And it was awesome! I found some peace and quiet and some energy. Who knew?!
Dinner with dad was lovely then he brought Ellie and I home. This is where the balance battle really began.
There was a huge pile of laundry in our room, laundry in both the dryer and washer, a pile of dishes in the sink and thank you notes from Little Miss's birthday party two weeks ago that needed to be written. Well - created then written. Also the kitchen has become a collection point of everything since we have no furniture to put anything else on!
So I had to find balance. I wanted to get it all done, but I knew I didn't want to stay up until midnight. So sleep needed to be balanced with work. I decided to fold the one load in the dryer so I could toss a new one in. Thank you notes were the next priority or else I'd put them off forever.
After an episode of Smash and two episodes of Modern Family, the one load was folded and put away and the thank you notes were created, written, and waiting Little Miss's signature.
I decided I would sit down to compose the blog as my reward. Well, the blog and an ice cream bar was my reward. Hey - I walked tonight! The dishes will wait until the morning. I let myself sleep in today so I'm back to the early start tomorrow. If I can convince my body that even though I don't have to get up early, I should anyway.
I should.
Cheers -
Megs
I'm sure an Eastern philosopher or Buddhist monk has probably written more eloquently on the subject than I. I'm also pretty sure that philosopher or monk did not have two kids, a dog, a husband, a house that refused to close, etc amid which they were forced to find balance.
Tonight, it was just me. This is a rare occurrence. I can count on one hand how many times it's been just me in the house. Well, me and Ellie. She's my protector. Dear Husband offered to take her today but I needed my girl with me tonight (see, the love is back). He did whisk Little Man and Little Miss away for an overnight trip to visit grandparents, so it's just me. Balance was my goal.
The day was fairly long at work due to one of my bosses being gone; however, I came home and decided to walk to my dad's for dinner (he's also home alone since mom is flying to see other grandbabies). Now, if you know me, you know I don't really exercise. Walking is about the extent of it and that is rare. Time is the main constraint with motivation coming in a close second. So walking to dinner was a huge thing for me. And it was awesome! I found some peace and quiet and some energy. Who knew?!
Dinner with dad was lovely then he brought Ellie and I home. This is where the balance battle really began.
There was a huge pile of laundry in our room, laundry in both the dryer and washer, a pile of dishes in the sink and thank you notes from Little Miss's birthday party two weeks ago that needed to be written. Well - created then written. Also the kitchen has become a collection point of everything since we have no furniture to put anything else on!
So I had to find balance. I wanted to get it all done, but I knew I didn't want to stay up until midnight. So sleep needed to be balanced with work. I decided to fold the one load in the dryer so I could toss a new one in. Thank you notes were the next priority or else I'd put them off forever.
After an episode of Smash and two episodes of Modern Family, the one load was folded and put away and the thank you notes were created, written, and waiting Little Miss's signature.
I decided I would sit down to compose the blog as my reward. Well, the blog and an ice cream bar was my reward. Hey - I walked tonight! The dishes will wait until the morning. I let myself sleep in today so I'm back to the early start tomorrow. If I can convince my body that even though I don't have to get up early, I should anyway.
I should.
Cheers -
Megs
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